EVERYBODY, I AM
MARTHA MacCALLUM AND THAT IS
WHERE THE STORY BEGINS.
HERE IS HOW GENERAL JACK KEANE
AND FORMER DEFENSE SECRETARY
LEON PANETTA SEE THE SITUATION
PLAYING OUT IN THE WAKE OF LAST
WEEKEND'S ATTACK ON THE SAUDI
OIL FIELDS.
>> IF WE DON'T ACT, OR IF WE
DON'T ACT STRONG ENOUGH, IT'S
GUARANTEED THAT IRAN WILL
CONTINUE.
>> I THINK IT IS GOING TO DEMAND
SOME KIND OF RESPONSE.
THE IRANIANS WOULD RESPOND TO
THAT KIND OF STRIKE BY ATTACKING
OUR FORCES IN THE REGION.
SO WE COULD SEE A WAR.
>> Martha: PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE TULSI GABBARD HERE IN
MOMENTS THINKS THAT THAT ADVICE
WOULD BE A GRAVE MISTAKE AND SHE
CRITICIZES THE PRESIDENT FOR
THIS TWEET WHICH SAYS THAT THE
U.S. "LOCKED AND LOADED" AND
THAT WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM
THE SAUDI KINGDOM AS TO WHO THEY
BELIEVED WAS THE CAUSE OF THIS
ATTACK AND UNDER WHAT TERMS WE
WOULD PROCEED.
THAT WAS FROM THE OTHER DAY.
SO THEN AFTER THAT,
SECRETARY POMPEO MADE IT CLEAR
THAT THE UNITED STATES BELIEVES
THAT IT WAS IRANIAN WEAPONS THAT
WERE USED -- THERE IS PICTURE IN
"THE NEW YORK POST" TODAY, AND
THAT THE ATTACK CAME FROM THE
NORTH, NOT FROM THE SOUTH, WHERE
THE REBELS IN YEMEN ORIGINALLY
CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY.
TULSI GABBARD DID NOT MINCE
WORDS.
IF SHE HAS FIRED BACK AT THE
PRESIDENT ON TWITTER THIS WAY.
>> FOR YOU TO THINK THAT YOU CAN
OUT OUR PROUD SERVICEMEN AND
WOMEN TO THE PRINCE OF
SAUDI ARABIA IS DISGRACEFUL.
YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS ARE OF A
TRAIL OF MY AND SISTERS IN
UNIFORM, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE,
AND OUR CONSTITUTION.
MY FELLOW SERVICE MEMBERS AND I,
WE ARE NOT YOUR PROSTITUTES.
YOU ARE NOT OUR PIMP.
>> Martha: THOSE ARE OBVIOUSLY
VERY STRONG WORDS DIRECTED AT
THE PRESIDENT, THE COMMANDER IN
CHIEF.
CONGRESSWOMAN, DO YOU STAND BY
THOSE?
>> ABSOLUTELY, I DO.
TRUMP'S INTENT WAS MADE VERY
CLEAR WITH THAT TWEET.
AS A SOLDIER, I TOOK AN OATH AS
WELL AS AS A MEMBER OF CONGRESS.
AS A SOLDIER I TOOK AN OATH TO
SUPPORT AND DEFEND OUR
CONSTITUTION, TO PROTECT AND
DEFEND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
NOT THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA,
NOT ANY OTHER FOREIGN POWER.
IF, FOR SOME REASON, THAT'S NOT
WHAT TRUMP MEANT, THEN HE SHOULD
COME OUT AND SAY THAT'S NOT WHAT
I MEANT AND CLARIFY IT, BUT HE
HASN'T DONE THAT.
>> Martha: IT DOES SEEM LIKE A
RATHER LITERAL INTERPRETATION
AND I DON'T KNOW, SO PERHAPS
THAT IS WHAT HE MEANT, BUT LET'S
LISTEN TO WHAT THE PENTAGON SAID
TODAY BECAUSE I THINK THAT THIS
MIGHT SHED SOME LIGHT ON SORT OF
WHERE THIS IS COMING FROM.
WATCH THIS.
>> WE ARE GOING TO ALLOW THE
SAUDIS TO MAKE THE DECLARATIONS
ON WHERE THEY BELIEVE THE
ATTACKS CAME FROM AND ULTIMATE
RESPONSIBILITY.
>> Martha: WHEN I READ IT,
THAT WAS MORE THE TAKE THAT I
HAD ON IT, THAT THIS IS AN
ALLY -- AND ANOTHER YOU DON'T
AGREE THAT THIS IS A GOOD ALLY,
BUT SOMETIMES NOT ALL ALLIES ARE
PERFECT, IT'S HONESTLY VERY
COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP, BUT
THAT BECAUSE THE ATTACK WAS ON
THEM, THERE WOULD BE DISCUSSIONS
ABOUT WHERE IT CAME FROM AND
THEN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW WE
WOULD RESPOND.
NOT THAT WE WOULD TAKE ORDERS
FROM SAUDI ARABIA ABOUT HOW WE
WOULD RESPOND.
>> WHILE A COUPLE OF POINTS HER
HERE.
FIRST OF ALL I THINK TRUMP'S
TWEET WAS VERY CLEAR AND IF HE
DIDN'T MEAN WHAT HE SAID THAT HE
SHOULD CLARIFY AND ACTUALLY SAY
WHAT HE MEANS.
AS PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, YOU HAVE TO BE
VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THE WORDS ARE
USING BECAUSE THEY CARRY A LOT
OF IMPACT.
SECONDLY, THIS IS ABOUT
SOMETHING BIGGER THAN JUST A
COMPLEX RELATIONSHIP WITH
SAUDI ARABIA OR HAVING AN ALLY
WHO IS NOT PERFECT.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A COUNTRY
THAT IS CONTINUING TO DIRECTLY
AND INDIRECTLY SUPPORT AL QAEDA.
WE JUST DESERVED AN 18TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY THAT
AL QAEDA ATTACKED US ON 9/11,
THE DATE OF THAT EVIL VISITED
OUR COUNTRY, KILLING THOUSANDS
OF AMERICANS.
SO I DON'T TAKE LIGHTLY PEOPLE
WHO SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW,
SAUDI ARABIA, THEY ARE NOT THAT
GREAT, BUT WE NEED THEM.
LOOK, SAUDI ARABIA IS CONTINUING
TO SUPPORT OUR ENEMY, AL QAEDA,
IN PLACES LIKE YEMEN AND SYRIA.
>> WHAT THEY WERE DOING EVERY
ARE SPENDING BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
TO PROPAGATE THIS EXTREME
IDEOLOGY THAT'S FUELING
TERRORIST GROUPS LIKE ISIS AND
AL QAEDA.
>> Martha: A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO
AGREE WITH YOU AND THERE ARE A
LOT OF PEOPLE WHO PROBABLY
DISAGREE WITH YOU, BUT ALSO TAKE
YOUR POINTS TO HEART IN TERMS OF
THAT EXPO NATION, BUT THERE ARE
ALSO PEOPLE WHO LOOK BACK AT THE
THINGS THAT YOU HAVE SAID IN THE
PAST AND SORT OF SEE THAT THERE
ARE KIND OF TWO CAMPS IN THE
MIDDLE EAST, THAT YOU HAVE IRAN
AND SYRIA WITH THE BACKING OF
RUSSIA AND THAT YOU HAVE THE
UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL AND THE
SAUDI ARABIA AND THE UAE.
THEY SEE YOU MORE IN THE CAMP
THAT IS ON THE SIDE OF IRAN AND
SYRIA AND THEY QUESTION THAT,
CONGRESSWOMAN, WHAT DO YOU SAY
TO THEM?
>> THERE WRONG.
THERE WRONG.
I'M NOT AN ANY OF THOSE
DIFFERENT CAMPS, I AM IN ONE
CAMP AND ONE CUP ALONE AND IT'S
THE CAMP OF THE UNITED STATES OF
AMERICA AND THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
AND I TOOK AN OATH AND I
PROMISED TO BE WILLING TO PUT MY
LIFE ON THE LINE TO SERVE AND
PROTECT OUR COUNTRY, TO PROTECT
THE PEOPLE OF OUR COUNTRY, SO
THAT IS MY SOLE FOCUS.
IT HAS BEEN AND WILL CONTINUE TO
BE.
>> Martha: WE ADMIRE THAT AND
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
TO LIVE.
I GUESS THE NEXT QUESTION IS,
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
WITHOUT ENORMOUS PROVOCATION
FROM IRAN.
THEY HAVE PUT EXPLOSIVES ON
TANKERS.
THEY SHOT DOWN A DRONE THAT WAS
$130 MILLION BY SOME REPORTS,
AMERICAN DRONE, THEY'VE TAKEN
SAILORS INTO CUSTODY.
SO WHAT DO YOU RECOMMEND?
>> I THINK WE GOT TO LOOK AT THE
SITUATION FOR WHAT IT IS.
THIS PROVOCATION, AS REPORTED,
DID NOT JUST COME FROM OUT OF
NOWHERE.
IT IS A RETALIATION AND IT'S A
RETALIATION AGAINST THE EXTREME
SANCTIONS THAT ARE ON IRAN.
IT'S BASICALLY MAKING IT
IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO SELL
THEIR OIL AROUND THE WORLD SO WE
JUST GOT TO BE CLEAR RIGHT ABOUT
WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING AND
HOW -- IF WE CONTINUE DOWN THIS
COURSE, THIS PATH WE ARE ON, I
THINK YOU HEARD FORMER SECRETARY
PINEDA ALLUDE TO THIS, THAT WE
WILL SEE A CYCLE OF RETALIATION
TIT FOR TAT JUST CONTINUING TO
GO FORWARD AND ESCALATE
ECONOMICALLY TO AN INFERNO.
>> Martha: WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
>> AS PRESIDENT RIGHT NOW WHAT I
WOULD DO IS REENTER THE IRAN
NUCLEAR DEAL TO PREVENT IRAN
FROM CONTINUING TO MOVE FORWARD
AND BUILDING A NUCLEAR WEAPON
THAT PUTS US AND THE WORLD
FURTHER AT RISK, AND NUMBER TWO,
AND THOSE CRIPPLING SANCTIONS.
>> Martha: THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT
THEY WANT.
>> EVERY DAY THAT WE DON'T DO
THIS, EVERY DAY WE CONTINUE DOWN
THIS FAILED STRATEGY, IRAN GETS